First impressions of the Ruger Precision Rifle

Shortly after the Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) first came out, a close friend of mine asked me what I thought about it. I’m pretty sure my response was something like, “Ruger is not generally associated with precision”

Later, much to my surprise, when I was talking to my VA doctor he pulled out targets he had shot with his RPR and he had some pretty impressive groups. I started reading about the rifle and found most everything I was reading was saying that the RPR is pretty outstanding. So when I saw one in 6.5 Creedmore for sale at Gulf Coast Armory I had to pick it up.

Sadly, I don’t have ammunition for it yet, so I haven’t gotten to see its true worth yet. But that has given me some time to pull it apart and examine it.

Overall I am very impressed with the rifle. I have the Gen 2 RPR that comes with a different handguard, muzzle brake, and aluminum bolt shroud. Sadly the Gen 2 rifles are $200 more then the older ones, and I think I would have preferred to have the Gen 1.

It looks like Ruger’s initial plan was to make a 1000 yard gun at $1000 dollars. The rifle is packed full of features that you don’t see elsewhere. The ability to use AR15 handguards and grips , A folding adjustable stock that can be replaced with any AR15 stock, a good adjustable trigger, threaded hammer forged 5R barrel. The barrel can be removed with an AR15 barrel wrench. 20 MOA rail, etc.

Lots of features. Now to get all that in that price, the rifle does have plenty of machining marks and a few sharp edges. I think the lack of perfect fit and finish is a negligible price to pay compared to what all else you are getting. However if you are a perfectionist, this may not be for you.

Stock:

The RPR comes with a carbine buffer tube installed with a fully adjustable stock. Length of Pull, Cheek Riser height, can be adjusted along with the ability to cant the recoil pad. It also include a couple of places to attach a QD swivel. I really like this stock, but I find if you are trying to quickly make an adjustment it will bind up. Very adjustable, but not quick to adjust.

Safety:

I really like that the RPR uses an AR15 safety with a reduced throw, about 45 degrees. Sadly this safety seems like it was added almost as an afterthought. While fully functional, it is kind of loose and actuating it feels sloppy. Instead of using a detent and spring like on the AR15, Ruger just relies on friction and a wire spring to hold the safety in place. When I had my rifle disassembled I found the Ruger safety looked like a rough investment casting coated with the cheapest black spray paint available. I swapped it out for an extra Colt safety I had laying around and that greatly reduced the slop and play in the safety. At some point I intend to get an Ambi safety for this rifle.

Handguard:

The Gen 1 rifles came with a keymod handguard with a full top rail. This interfered with some scopes that have a large objective lens. The newer RPR have a keymod handguard that omits that top rail. Some claim that you can put ANY AR15 handguard on the RPR, but that simply isn’t the case. Between the RPR receive and the hand guard nut, is the RPR’s barrel nut, which is about .2 inches long. This prevent any AR15 rail that uses the AR15 upper for alignment from fitting correctly. Some companies, like Midwest Industries and Seekins have made new handguards specifically for this Ruger rifle.

Muzzle Break:

The muzzle break was added as part of the $200 upgrade on the Gen 2 rifles. First was that mine was installed crooked. This break is covered in burrs and looks like someones first machining project. I’ve already pulled it off as I intend to mount a Surefire Silencer. This is the only part of the rifle I really feel is unacceptable.

I am really excited about this rifle. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do with it.21